Hungarian state TV suspends news broadcast for revamp after Orban years
By Krisztina Than and Anita Komuves
State Media Overhaul and Its Implications
BUDAPEST, July 7 (Reuters) - Hungarian state television said on Tuesday its news broadcast was temporarily suspended as the government overhauls public service media to make it "independent and credible".
Announcement and Immediate Actions
State television's main M1 channel posted the announcement on a black screen, displaying the message: "Public service media cannot lie. We apologise for doing this for many years nonetheless."
Earlier on Tuesday, local media reported that some state TV and radio editors had been dismissed after a new interim management arrived at the headquarters and took its place. Reuters could not immediately verify the reports.
Political Context and Election Promises
The moves are in line with Prime Minister Peter Magyar's election promise to overhaul state media and stop what he called "propaganda" under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
"Public media is now being revamped so that it can be independent and credible in the future. News broadcast is temporarily suspended. Please stay with us!" the announcement on M1 read.
Magyar's Reforms and Historical Parallels
Magyar, whose Tisza party ousted Orban's nationalist Fidesz party after 16 years in power in an April election, has started to overhaul Orban's key bastions of power, including the state media. He has said he will restore checks and balances, and clamp down on corruption.
The move was reminiscent of action taken by fellow centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Poland, when his pro-European coalition came to power in 2023 and took a public news channel off the air shortly afterwards.
Reactions from Orban and the Opposition
Orban called the decision "the latest move by the Tisza party despotism" and urged Hungarians to watch the right-wing private news channel HirTV instead.
Challenges of Reforming Public Media
CHALLENGING TASK
"It's a historic day, as the broadcast of propaganda has ended on public service media," Magyar said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, adding that state Kossuth Radio has also stopped broadcasting. The prime minister said in a fresh post later that the main M1 television channel would resume its broadcast at 1956 CET, with movies but no news broadcast service.
Magyar said after the election that he wanted to create "a truly balanced, objective news service." In one of his first decrees as prime minister, he ordered a "comprehensive and immediate" review of public service media and its financing.
Expert Opinions on Media Credibility
But creating a genuinely balanced public service media will be a major challenge, analysts said.
"The first and most important task is to restore the credibility and the trust in public service media," said Gabor Polyak, professor at the media and communications department of Eotvos Lorand University.
Polyak said public service media should play a key role in creating Hungarian-language cultural content and should operate in a transparent and cost-effective manner.
Background: Media Freedom Under Orban
Under Orban, state media came under increasing government control as new media laws were enacted. Several private outlets were shut down or taken over by pro-government businessmen.
Hungary fell to 74th place in 2026 from 23rd in 2010 in Reporters Without Borders’ press freedom index.
Orban's government denied exerting pressure on the media and said it met EU standards on media freedom.
(Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Gareth Jones)
